So long, Luke

Well it appears Luke Lawton had some value after all — the Colts traded him to Philadelphia for a conditional draft pick.

The deal makes lots of sense for both teams. The Colts' offense almost never uses a pure fullback — and Lawton is a dictionary definition of one. They prefer instead to motion in a tight end, H-back or slot back into the fullback spot, or go without entirely. In his Colts career, he rushed 5-13-0 and caught 4-29-1; and the touchdown was on a trick play. He also had — according to the Colts’ own rather generous to my eye scoring — 8 special-teams tackles and 3 assists. I’m not getting down on the fan favorite, I think he’s a good guy; but keep in mind that since college he’s been with the Bills, Giants, Bills again, Falcons, Falcons again, Giants again, Jets, Jets again, Colts three frickin’ times and now the Eagles.

To put it simply, draft pick Tom Santi fits the team’s plans at fullback better than Lawton; and holdover Gijon Robinson is not without skills at the position either. Lawton probably wouldn’t have made the team anyway.

But he could well make the Eagles. Their modified West Coast offense has a place for a traditional fullback, and any offense with Brian Westbrook as a featured runner could definitely use one. Interestingly, Lawton's primary competition will come from former Colts (and former defensive tackle) Dan Klecko — himself a fan favorite when he was in Indy. You’ll see Kris Wilson listed as the starter at fullback on most Eagles’ depth charts, but that dude is a tight end.

So it’s a win-win trade. The Colts get the chance at a draft pick for a guy who wasn’t going to make the roster, and the Eagles get a bona fide fullback for next to nothing.